Written by Vicky Mejia
If we were to play a game of show and tell, which item would you bring to put on display? Your favorite trinket, book, or perhaps a family memento? What might seem like a mundane, everyday item for some can actually be a personal identifier for others—sharing insight about a person and highlighting the humanness in our world today.
In the Jordan Harrison’s, The Antiquities, museum curators seek to answer the question, “What were humans really like?” in an effort to tell a story about a lost civilization. The past might not seem so far away, but for our staff, it means reminiscing about quieter moments from our fast-paced, technology-driven world. We asked them to share what they would put on display at our very own Museum of Late Antiquities, that is, if it were to ever exist…
The Antiquities is on stage now through June 1.
Photo by Freddy Jacob from Unsplash.
Floppy Disks
I worked full-time while a college student in the early 90’s, so it was a struggle to find time to write the lengthy papers required for my philosophy major. In between my classes, my daytime theater production job, my evening house manager job and my freelance costume stitching jobs, I would rush to my school’s computer lab, hoping for an open computer station and enough intellectual capacity for yet another analysis on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. I would slide my 3.5 floppy disk into the slot of the peppery-smelling pc and wrestle with ideas that were too big for me. As my paper chugged out of the print tray, I saved my work on the disk and slid it into a plastic case. I would leave tired but alive with the power of how my brain could work. When I moved a few years back I found that plastic box full of floppy disks. I tossed them out, though it would be fine with me to put them into a museum. I don’t need them anymore because I still have those critical-thinking skills I developed back in my college computer lab and no technology—especially not AI—can replace them.
– Matti Allison, Director of Audience Development
Photo by Pierre Gui from Unsplash.
Vinyl Records and Record Players
Vinyl Records and a record player. I love music and whatever world happens to exist, I just hope that music will always be there to make it more manageable.
– Claudette Przygoda, Production Office Coordinator
Photo by Ricardo Resende from Unsplash.
Transistor Radios
My red Sony Ball and Chain transistor radio! Listening to Casey Kasem American Top 40 was a high light of my tween years. I think I even brought it along to college, where it was set aside for more stereophonic sound. – Marty Grochala, Associate Director of Development
Photo by Girl with red hat from Unsplash.
Viewmaster
I would bring a viewmaster because it reminds me of simpler times when I didn’t own a phone or a computer. When I wanted to entertain myself with something other than a cartoon television show or illustration book, I would find myself grabbing this item because it was a great grounding tool for being in the present moment. I would insert a disc of photo reels from my favorite Disney movies and spend time clicking through each projection that had a sephia-colored hue. I was always curious about how they were made, and it would’ve been epic to customize it by adding some family photos and treasure it as an item to look back to when I got older. Now, I resort to scrolling through social media reels. It’s kind of the same right? – Vicky Mejia, Digital Marketing Associate
Photo by Annie Spratt from Unsplash.
Landline Telephones
I miss landlines. I miss the notion of having a phone that you don’t have to carry with you. A phone that *only* exists inside the house that *only* dials and doesn’t entice you to shop or scroll …or react. – Toccara Castleman, Director of Digital Strategy
Photo by Lucky Alamanda from Unsplash.
CD Player
I, personally, think there has not been a good replacement for the care and craft that goes into a personally burned CD. Curating an appropriate list of songs, hand-writing the track list on the white card, writing the recipient’s name on the CD itself. It was just so personal and lovely. – Alex Meyer, Board Relations & Individual Giving Coordinator
Photo by Ben Szymanski from Unsplash.
IPod Shuffle
The small iPod shuffle that you can clip to things! I don’t even need it to hold any more songs than it could “back in the day,” but I really just want a small music-only device for walking/running. – Kelly Carr, Manager of Corporate Partnerships and Institutional Giving
Photo by Florian Klauer from Unsplash.
Typewriter
I love typewriters. They force you to slow down and really think about what you’re typing. Fun fact: I had a typewriter in my Goodman office until about 2019. – Kate Welham, Senior Director of Institutional Giving and Development Operations
Photo by Bodega from Unsplash.
Discman
I still miss dragging my Discman and goofy cord headphones everywhere I went—on the train, at the gym, or just walking around the city. I miss listening to one album at a time, from beginning to end (over and over and over again!). It was a great way to get to know an artist or a band. I even miss the way a song would sometimes skip if the CD was scratched, or if I moved around too much. – Gabriella Bonamici, Marketing Associate
Photo by Andrew Dawes from Unsplash.
Subway Coins
Subway Tokens. – Kat Zukaitis, Director of New Works
Vicky Mejia is the Digital Marketing Associate at Goodman Theatre
